The first two units were delivered this week.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
VW’s 3.0 ID. software update improves quick charge time by nine minutes
VW is preparing a software update for its ID. series electric cars that increases peak charging speed from 125kW to 135kW on the largest 77kWh battery.
The 3.0 software also includes improvements to navigation, voice control, and driver assistance.
The post VW’s 3.0 ID. software update improves quick charge time by nine minutes appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
Rivian announces a new $5 billion electric vehicle factory in Georgia
Rivian announced a new $5 billion electric vehicle factory just outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
The electric automaker plans to start production at the new plant in 2024.
The post Rivian announces a new $5 billion electric vehicle factory in Georgia appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
Elon Musk: Tesla plans to invest over $10 billion in Gigafactory Texas, employ 20,000 workers
Elon Musk says that Tesla plans to invest over $10 billion in Gigafactory Texas and will eventually employ 20,000 workers.
The post Elon Musk: Tesla plans to invest over $10 billion in Gigafactory Texas, employ 20,000 workers appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward
GMC Hummer EV Matches Rivian R1T On Doug DeMuro's Scoreboard
Those are the two vehicles with the highest scores among pickups right now.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
ABCs Of EVs: F For Frunk
What the frunk is that?
Source: Electric Vehicle News
Ford Outlines F-150 Lightning Ordering Process: Starts In January
It will happen in waves – a new batch of reservation holders will get their chance to order every two weeks.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
Jim Cramer On Hypocrisy Surrounding Tesla's FSD Beta: Insight
There are hundreds of car crashes every day, but if there’s an incident related to Tesla’s tech, it’s huge news.
Source: Electric Vehicle News
Rivian to build $5-billion battery and assembly plant near Atlanta
Rivian Automotive is the brightest rising star in the EV firmament at the moment, and it’s flush with cash following a $11.9 billion stock offering in November. Now the company has announced plans to put some of that nest egg to work at a new $5-billion battery and assembly plant east of Atlanta, which is projected to employ 7,500 workers.
[Superlative alert:] Sources told AP that the headcount at the plant could grow to as many as 10,000, which would make it among the largest auto assembly complexes in the US. The deal is expected to be the largest industrial project in Georgia history, surpassing the 4,400-worker Kia complex that opened in West Point in 2009.
Founder and CEO Robert Scaringe told Bloomberg Television in November that the ability to recruit good workers [read: non-unionized workers] was the most important factor in the decision.
The state of Georgia is believed to have offered rich incentives to Rivian, which reportedly also considered factory sites in Texas, Arizona and Michigan. Georgia’s Mega Project Tax Credit could be worth $118 million in state income tax credits, and local governments may also reduce property taxes.
Rivian, like Tesla, sells directly to customers, and has no plans to build a dealership network. Georgia, like Texas, generally prohibits this sales model. We expect Rivian to work the political levers to try to change this state of affairs (as Tesla has been doing in Texas for years, so far without success).
Many foresee surging demand for EVs, and Rivian, which says it has a yearly capacity of 150,000 vehicles at its existing plant in Normal, Illinois, is not the only automaker that’s expanding production capacity. At least one auto analyst is skeptical. “It seems like it might be a little premature to invest that much in another large plant just yet,” said Sam Abuelsamid, Principal Mobility Analyst for Guidehouse Insights, adding that Rivian may also be scouting a site in Europe.
Abuelsamid expects Rivian to make various parts for its vehicles at the new Georgia plant, as Tesla does at its factory in Fremont, California. Tesla has often become frustrated with suppliers’ inability to react quickly enough to its rapidly-evolving needs, and brought production of parts in-house.
With this massive new investment, Rivian has plunged further into the dreaded Valley of Death, and it needs to start bringing in some serious revenue before the massive costs of ramping up production drain its bank account. “If actual deliveries don’t start picking up, the markets could turn against [Rivian] as they have with some other EV startups not called Tesla,” Abuelsamid said. “Rivian will be facing serious competition in a much shorter time frame than the near-decade head start that Tesla had.”
Mr. Abuelsamid is referring to Ford, GM and Tesla, which will be bringing their own electric pickup trucks to market soon.
Source: Associated Press
Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine
Ride1Up launches 28 MPH Cafe Cruiser dual-rider electric bike with low entry price
Ride1Up has spent years earning a well-deserved spot at the front of the pack for commuter e-bikes. But now the San Diego-based electric bike company is branching out into a new class of rides with a more beach cruiser-esque model known as the Cafe Cruiser.
The new e-bike is likely to help expand Ride1Up’s reach beyond its existing urban-oriented market, with the brand now expanding further into comfort and lifestyle-type electric bikes.
The post Ride1Up launches 28 MPH Cafe Cruiser dual-rider electric bike with low entry price appeared first on Electrek.
Source: Charge Forward